Modified asphalt-based crack and joint repair system

Pavement cracking is a common type of distress seen on the majority of Indian road surfaces with the passage of time. The formation of cracks in a road surface is due to various reasons, such as excessive deflection of the pavement surface, failure of the granular layers due to repeated traffic loading, weakening of the sub-grade due to the ingress of excessive moisture, overloading by commercial vehicles and brittleness of bituminous binder due to ageing, as well as lowering of the surface temperature. In this study, a new method was used to seal cracks and joints in rigid and flexible pavements. The material used is a plasticised resin-ester binder blended with thermoplastic rubber and acetate co-polymers. Special equipment is used for the production and application of the mix. This paper reports on laboratory and field evaluations of the new crack-sealing method. The laboratory experiments are described and results of the performance of the mixture, such as resilient modulus and indirect tensile strength, are presented. The skid resistance was found to be improved, compared with existing concrete and flexible pavement surfaces under both dry and wet conditions. Details of the performance of the proposed new crack-sealing material and its method of application are presented.